Verne robotaxi service partners with Uber and Pony.ai for launch. Rimac-owned Verne is set to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Europe with Uber and Pony.ai. This will launch in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, where road tests by Pony.ai partner Arcfox are underway. By Florian Treiss 30.03.2026 - 16:30 In June 2024, the Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac unveiled its plans for Verne: a robotaxi service built around a fully autonomous battery-electric vehicle with just two seats, no steering wheel, and no pedals. At the time, Rimac announced that the service would launch in Zagreb in 2026, followed by expansions to the UK and Germany, and eventually to additional markets across Europe and the Middle East. The announcement of the new partnerships is then surprising for two reasons. First, Rimac has partnered with Pony.ai, a company that offers a proprietary autonomous driving solution comprising hardware, software, and services. Initially, Rimac had planned to collaborate with Pony.ai's competitor, Israel's Mobileye, for Verne's autonomous driving technology. The collaboration with Uber is equally significant. Rimac had previously outlined a fully integrated solution for Verne, encompassing its own vehicles, fleet management, and a dedicated customer app - a vertically integrated approach. Rimac founder Mate Rimac stated at the time: "We want to make a difference with our holistic integrated approach, which is designed around the best possible experience." Uber's involvement is driven by several factors: the US ride-hailing giant has pledged an undisclosed investment in Verne, following recent investments in the robotaxi ventures of Lucid and Rivian. Additionally, integrating Verne into the Uber platform from the outset is expected to significantly boost its reach compared to a standalone offering. Finally, Uber is not insisting on exclusivity for its booking platform; instead, it will be complemented by 'Verne's own customer-facing platform', representing a hybrid approach to booking. Road tests already underway in Zagreb. As part of the collaboration, the partners have already begun road tests in the Croatian capital, Zagreb. However, these tests do not yet use Verne's self-developed robotaxi but rather a robotaxi based on the Arcfox Alpha T5, equipped with Pony.ai's Gen-7 autonomous driving system. Zagreb is then set to host the launch of Europe's first commercial robotaxi service - provided no other project beats them to it. Verne will lead the market introduction and the process of obtaining European approval, while coordinating the deployment of Pony.ai's robotaxis within the networks of both Verne and Uber. Verne will act as both the fleet owner and service operator. Autonomous mobility for Europe. "Europe needs autonomous mobility that can move from testing to a real service," says Marko Pejkovic, CEO of Verne. "At Verne, we are bringing together the technology, platform, and operational capabilities required to make this a reality, starting in Zagreb before expanding to new markets." One question remains: what is the status of Verne's self-developed robotaxi, which relies on Mobileye technology? A query from electrive to Verne on this issue remains unanswered and Electrive will provide an update if a response is received. However, the facts remain: Verne's own robotaxi factory near Zagreb is set to commence operations this year, while the company announced the completion of 60 verification prototypes last November. It is therefore likely that Verne is using the launch with the Arcfox vehicles in Zagreb to bridge the gap until its own vehicles are ready, while simultaneously gaining real-world experience in fleet management and booking platforms. Electrive has also sought clarification from Verne on this matter and are awaiting a response. 0 comments. about "Verne robotaxi service partners with Uber and Pony.ai for launch" Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Zagreb leading the way: soon to be the first city in Europe with robotaxis, a partnership of rimac, Pony.ai, and Uber. Zagreb could soon become the first city in Europe to introduce a commercial robotaxi service, thanks to a strategic partnership between three companies: Verne, Pony.ai, and Uber Technologies. This amb... Get the full story in the Vaisti app

Rimac reveals the ultra-exclusive Nevera R Founder's Edition. Each of the handful of Nevera R Founder's Edition customers will work with Mate Rimac himself to design their bespoke hypercar. * Rimac unveiled a new ultra-exclusive version of the Nevera R called the Founder's Edition. * Production will be limited to just 10 units globally, each featuring a laundry list of perks that give owners exclusive access to the electric hypercar company. * Despite the presumably astronomical price, every model is already accounted for and sold within a week of being privately announced. If there's one thing Caranddriver can be sure of, it's that hypercar owners love an exclusive special-edition car and accompanying perks from automakers. Take McLaren, for example. The high-performance British manufacturer announced this summer that a hand-picked group of customers were given the chance to buy their own hypercar, which includes behind-the-scenes access to development. Now, Rimac is getting in on the exclusivity game and offering a limited-edition version of the Nevera R called the Founder's Edition. Changes to the Nevera R are focused on the visuals, with each car designed to the taste of its customer. The real value in the Founder's Edition is the list of perks that come with the car. According to Rimac, each of the 10 (yep, just 10) customers will sit down with Mate Rimac himself as well as Rimac's design team to configure each bespoke model. The basis for the special edition is a two-tone design that separates the top of the car from the bottom, while a central stripe separates the left and right sides of the car. According to Rimac, an asymmetrical seat layout inside pays homage to the configuration of Mate's personal Nevera. For sale near you. See all results for 2026 Rimac Nevera for sale near 10025 For as long as they own the car, the Founder's Edition customers will get priority invitations to product previews, invitations to performance demonstrations and record attempts, access to strategy discussions, and a company card with access to the Bugatti-Rimac headquarters. They'll also be given special driver training by Rimac's professional testing team, and Mate Rimac will attend the delivery of all 10 cars. Rimac didn't mention any performance changes over the production version of the track-focused Nevera R, but that's not a bad thing. The production version already packs a 2107-hp punch from its quad-motor electric powertrain. That much power is reportedly good enough for a zero-to-60-mph time of 1.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of just 8.2 seconds. According to Mate Rimac, the Nevera R is the only car in the world that accelerates more quickly than it brakes, which is quite the party trick. Rimac hasn't - and likely won't - publicly announce pricing for the Founder's Edition, but it's sure to be astronomically high. Still, Rimac says that not only is every model accounted for, but the full list of allocations was filled within a week after the car was shown privately to clients earlier this year. Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.